Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid container protectors which can provide heating capability, cooling capability, or both capabilities for a liquid inside the container.
Description of the Background Art
This section describes background subject matter related to the subject matter of the present invention. There is no intention, either express or implied, that the background art discussed herein is the best art which is available. Nor is there an intention either express or implied that the background art discussed in this section legally constitutes prior art.
There is a high demand for bottle protectors, whether it be for child protection purposes, for sports applications, or for any other application where a container for liquids may be impacted. Any time a beverage container is formed from glass or a brittle plastic, there is a possibility the container may shatter upon impact, not only causing the beverage to spill, but potentially causing injury to the user of the bottle.
Various kinds of insulated bottle containers have been developed, for purposes of keeping a liquid within a container either hot or cold. In addition, bottle containers which are designed to provide for heating or cooling of a liquid within the bottle are discussed in the art. Exemplary embodiments of bottle protectors with heating or cooling capability which were discovered by applicant during preparation for filing of the present application are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,057 of Klittich, issued Aug. 6, 1985, and entitled: “Feeding Bottle With Tubular Housing For Clamping Flexible Container”, describes a housing for a baby feeding bottle which comprises a tubular housing with an open end; a disposable, open-ended flexible bag-like container locatable in the interior of the housing with a mouth zone of the container folded over the upper end of the housing; and a teat or nipple which is locatable over the mouth of the container and the upper zone of the housing. The tubular housing is longitudinally divided into two halves which are movable between open and closed positions to facilitate loading of a container into the housing. (Abstract)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,806 of Billoud et al, issued Apr. 4, 1989, and entitled: “Bottle With Rounded Bottom Fitted With A Base And Provided With A Passage For A Heat-Exchange Fluid And Base For Same”, describes a bottle with a rounded bottom, a lateral wall, and a separate base. The base comprises a lateral wall which surrounds and is fixed to a lower portion of the lateral wall of the bottle. It also comprises an annular support boss and a bottom part comprising an area supporting the bottom of the bottle. The bottle comprises a passage for a heat exchange fluid. This passage includes inlet and outlet areas for the heat exchange fluid. The flow of the fluid through the passage passes across part of the bottom of the bottle. This facilitates effective pasteurization or deep-freezing of the bottle's contents. (Abstract) There are fluid inlet and outlet areas spaced apart from each other through which a heat exchange fluid is flowed. (Claim 1).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,981 to Haas, issued on Jan. 12, 1993, and entitled: “Drink Cooler”, describes a drink cooler to keep liquids cool. The cooler has three parts, a lid, a frusto-conical outer container and a resilient plastic bottle which, when placed inside a container having a radially inward protrusion creates an annular cavity into which water can be poured and frozen without breaking the glass, and after freezing, the resilient bottle may be removed to allow the outer container to function as a glass with one annular ice ring located around the inside of the outer container. (Abstract)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,807, to Owen, issued May 24, 1994, and entitled: “Insulated Holder With Cooler Pocket”, describes an insulated bottle container which is characterized by a flexible enclosure having an inner insulation layer and a stiff bottom to facilitate freestanding and shock resistance. Elastic is provided in the neck and body portions of the enclosure to ensure a tight fit around a bottle, can or other container placed in the enclosure. At least one, and preferably a pair of refrigerant pockets are provided in the body of the enclosure to receive refrigerant capsules that may be frozen to provide cooling of the bottle, can or other container in the enclosure. One or more handles may be attached to the top portion of the enclosure for carrying purposes. (Abstract)
U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,124, to Kwon, issued Aug. 13, 2002, and entitled: “Instant Portable Hot Water Making Bottle”, describes a portable vacuum insulated bottle which includes a heat source having a minimum volume and a heat pipe which acts as a heat transmitting device. With this construction, a portable vacuum insulated bottle is provided which makes hot water using liquid propane gas as a possible heat source. (Abstract) claim 1 recites that a heat transmitting device is installed in the liquid container, where one end of the heat transmitting device contacts the heat source, and a second, opposite end of the heat transmitting device extends only partially into the cavity of the liquid container. The fuel source is described as requiring ignition control, fuel feed control, a temperature sensor and a thermal controller to stop the fuel from flowing when the heat pipe is heated up to a certain temperature. (Col. 3, lines 5-37, for example).